National Fruit and Vegetable Month is here, so it's time to acknowledge why these food pyramid staples are so important to our diet. Even though produce is sometimes low on most college students' lists of vital foods, eating fresh fruits and vegetables is integral to staying healthy and happy, Minnetrista Farmers Market coordinator Dani Caldwell said. The Minnetrista market is open twice a week through October and allows Muncie residents to buy the freshest kinds of fruits and vegetables in one place, as well as gather together in a community atmosphere.
On a warm September Saturday morning in Muncie, almost 1,000 people gathered at the Minnetrista Farmers Market. Adults, teenagers and children enjoyed shopping around for organic and locally grown food sold by more than 40 vendors. For the past nine years, Minnetrista has run the farmers market every Saturday and Wednesday from May to October, offering selections of meat, baked goods, plants and, more popularly, fruits and vegetables.
Caldwell said buying fruits and vegetables at the market rather than a standard grocery store is a smart choice.
"Most of [the vendors] are organic growers, so they don't use any of the pesticides or anything like that," she said. "It's somewhat healthier for you. Most of [the fruits and vegetables] are picked the morning of the market or the day before. It's a lot fresher."
Vendor Wendy Carpenter, who has been participating in the Minnetrista Farmers Market since it began, said she thinks the market is popular because the fruits and vegetables are just plain better.
"I think they're fresher," she said. "I think that's the No. 1 reason [people come to the market]. It's a better taste and better nutrition."
Carpenter said this has been the busiest year she has experienced. The market has averaged 1,000 to 1,200 visitors each open day for the past month and a half, Caldwell said.
Bill King, who has sold produce at the market for six years, said it is popular not only for nutrition reasons but because of the friendly environment.
"I like to come because of the crowd and the atmosphere," he said.
Caldwell said the Minnetrista Farmers Market is an important part of Muncie.
"It's a big social event for most of the [vendors]," she said. "They know a bunch of the people coming. They sit and chat. They're all really friendly."
Fruit and veggie health facts
- Fruits and vegetables have essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that can help fight chronic diseases including strokes and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
- Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and provide dietary fiber.
- To get a healthy variety, think color. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colors gives your body a wide range of valuable nutrients, like fiber, folate, potassium and vitamins A and C.
- Green foods, like broccoli and green beans, are especially good for the circulatory system.
- Red foods, such as apples, contain many phytochemicals that reduce free radical damage, helping with the prostate and the skin.
- Orange foods, like carrots, have carotenoids that help prevent cancer by repairing DNA.
- Vegetables keep blood sugar in balance.
- Vegetables create more energy in the body.
- Fruits and vegetables build up the immune system.
- Research says fruits and vegetables have more nutrients than a vitamin or mineral supplement could ever have.
- People should eat a minimum of five servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 zucchini
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 onion
- 12 ounces halved mushrooms
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Croutons
- 4 slices of bread
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Herbs and spices for taste
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